I'm a daddy's girl through and through, so Father's Day gift buying is a big deal for me, and often fraught with anxiety.

Will the gift convey to my father how I feel about him? Will it show him how much he means to me? Does a gift even have the power to do that? I mean, my dad likes a particular brand of T-shirt, a certain type of chocolate. I could give him those things, and he'd appreciate them. But it doesn't feel like "enough" somehow.

I've been buying Father's Day gifts for more than 40 years for my dad, Alla Snodgrass. Some years I'd get lucky and there would be a new John LeCarre book out, one of his favorite authors. One year my sister and I pitched in for a cruise. Once I managed to find an actual running light from the ship my dad sailed on for two years during his service in the Navy, the USS Mississinewa (AO-144) in the late 1950s. This was quite a rare and nostalgic find and he loved it. But it's hard to get a gift that will wow dad every year.

I want to give a gift that honors the first man I ever loved, the one who taught me how to drive and bought me a car when I was 16. The man with whom I belted out "New York, New York" on New Year's Eve — even when he had pneumonia and it was just the two of us in a hospital room at midnight. The man who taught me the importance of loyalty, love and laughter and the true meaning of family.

One year I decided to create a collage honoring my father's own childhood, which was a dearly remembered one in Butler. I wanted to evoke that childhood in the collage. I do have a background in art, but a collage is something anyone can make.

I started with an 8-inch-by-10-inch canvas — one you can get from any art or craft shop — and primed it and painted it with acrylic paint. I chose a midnight blue color that reminded me of the many nights we'd sit in the field across the street from my father's childhood home and watch the fireworks over Butler. We’d pull our lawn chairs out and sit at the edge of the field watching the sky explode and shimmer. That's the view shown in the collage; I photocopied a photograph of it. You can just see the top of St. Paul's Church, the church my family went to, and some other buildings.

I caution to always use photocopies rather than original photographs. For one thing, you don't want to risk damaging the photographs, and photocopies are easier to work with. Even if your photographs are black and white, photocopy them in color mode ("photo" mode if it's available). Color copies have a protective coating on them.

Select a few photographs and photocopy them. Arrange them in a way that makes visual sense and tells a sort of story. Make the story simple: a moment in time. I focused on my father and his parents and a view that was familiar to him. The view I chose is slightly out of focus but still recognizable.

Try several arrangements before gluing anything down permanently. Buy a glue that says it is specifically for use with paper or decoupage. I used my favorite photograph of my dad as a child. He is 5 years old and wearing a uniform his Uncle Frank gave him in 1945 when the war was over. The photo of his parents — my grandparents, John and Mary Snodgrass — shows them in their mid-30s, about the age they would have been when they were raising their family of eight — three boys, two girls of their own and later one boy, two girls they adopted.

I added a vintage map that shows the address of the house my dad grew up in; it was in the Institute Hill neighborhood. I added layers of ephemera and sheets of mica. Mica is a natural mineral and can be purchased in thin sheets; you use an X-ACTO knife to peel off layers of it. I also used metallic paint and rubber stamps to add texture and interest. I glued on thin tissue paper with stars printed on it, which partially fits over my father's eye.

I picked two small heart charms from a craft store and strung them to my grandparents' chests, then strung the hearts together with silver thread.

The parcel tag has my grandmother's handwriting on it. She always wrote "we love you very much" in her distinctive handwriting on cards she would give her children and grandchildren. I knew this would evoke a warm memory.

Other things you might use in a collage are confetti stars, translucent papers and various charms. There's usually a section for “paper art,“ scrapbooking or collage supplies in most craft stores; you'll find dozens of ideas there. Look for the Tim Holtz line at Michaels crafts stores; he's an excellent source of materials and inspiration.

Once it's finished, spray it with a protective matte finishing spray, available at craft stores. Hold the collage back at least 6 inches and spray lightly; do this two to three times. But don't overdo it. Just a light coating will protect your collage. Hang it where it won't get direct sunlight or else fading might occur over time.

Tamara Moore is an Eagle staff writer.